Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Aleah Nelson has been immersed in sports for as long as she can remember. From watching the Baltimore Ravens play on TV and throwing a football back and forth with her dad to playing an array of sports growing up—including soccer, lacrosse, and softball—, there was something unique about this world that intrigued her from a young age. It wasn’t until her dad encouraged her to play basketball on the blacktop court a couple of blocks from her house that she began to discover her interest in the game. It was different. It was a sport that disconnected her from the world and allowed her to be free. One that encouraged her to be creative and challenged her to think outside the box. As Aleah strengthened her skills on the court and expanded her knowledge of the game, she continued to reach new levels. Throughout her time in high school, she earned a series of accolades as a two-sport athlete—playing basketball and running track—including becoming a 1,000-point scorer and winning the IAAM Track Championship. The rest is history! After graduating from McDonogh High School, Aleah embarked on her collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati before transferring to Towson University—where she elevated her game further and confirmed her interest of one day playing in the WNBA or overseas. Currently in her senior year at Temple University, Aleah is excited to give it her all in this new chapter and is looking forward to continuing to work towards her dreams of playing the game at the highest level.
You mentioned that you played soccer, lacrosse, and softball. How did you discover your passion for the game of basketball?
That’s a good question. I struggled a lot with my mental health growing up and that was like the only sport, still to this day, that's really important to me. It helped me take care of my mental health. In high school, I noticed that when I stepped on the court I wasn't thinking about anything else. I tend to be an overthinker, but this just came natural to me. I was fast, had a really great IQ…everything was natural. This was the sport where I could just step on the court and wasn’t thinking; I was just doing and playing.
Diving more into your journey early on, let’s talk about embarking on your collegiate career. How was that transition from high school to college like for you?
It was actually a pretty smooth transition. I didn’t struggle as much as an incoming freshman with the drills and the (basketball) IQ. I feel like my AAU team and my high school team really prepared me well not only off the court, but also on the court. I don't feel like it was a hard transition (basketball-wise). Now, being away from home was definitely different—I went to Cincinnati my first year. Overall, it wasn't anything I couldn't take. It just ended up that Cincinnati wasn't a good fit for me; but my transition going from high school to college was pretty smooth (in terms of) the schedule, the lifting, and the practices because that's what I was doing in high school. Those were things I was doing with my AAU and high school teams.
As you begin your senior year at Temple, what are some personal goals that you have for this season?